November 20, 2022 11:59 p.m.
Over 100 people gathered at a rally against a family shelter in Bensonhurst on Oct. 30. / Photo by Deidre Foley
Brooklyn’s Community District 11, which includes Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, and parts of Gravesend, is one of the few districts in New York without any shelter resources.
In 2021, the city proposed two shelters in the community to provide for its “neighbors in need,” according to a Department of Social Services spokesperson. Every month, over 100 people from Bensonhurst/Bath Beach use shelter resources.
The first proposed shelter was met with immediate backlash and the city dropped its plan after a year. Now community members are speaking out against the second proposed shelter, which would support 75 families with children at 137 Kings Highway.
“These temporary homeless shelters do not help homeless people, and they do hurt the neighborhood,” said Assemblyman William Colton, who organized an anti-shelter rally on Oct. 30. “It damages the neighborhood because it creates an environment which makes people feel unsafe.” He said that the city should instead provide permanent housing and access to services, such as job training and treatment programs.
Advocates say that temporary shelter and permanent housing are not mutually exclusive. “We agree that permanent housing is the solution to homelessness, but we need to ensure that people have a safe place to go tonight,” said Jacquelyn Simone, policy director for the Coalition for Homeless.
“It’s a tragedy if any family or individual needs to use shelters,” Simone said.
Despite community backlash, the DSS plans to move forward with their plans for the Kings Highway shelter. "We are committed to ensuring that every community has the critical social safety net resources to help their neighbors in need," the DSS spokesperson said. "We need every community to come together to address the citywide challenge of homelessness."